The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-13
The -yIissing Tourists y

tourists from FlOrtud SnOuiu tiiuh Dc-
fore giving such energetic expression
to convictions entirely unfounded on
any true knowledge of the real situation.
Whether or not the roads made mis-
take in refusing to divide longer with
the tourists agencies need not be dis
cussed now-it has been done and can
not now be undone. Why did the roads
to California make excursion rates so
low that out roads refused to compete:
Because the capitalists interested ~
California PIT up the money TO REIN
burse the roads for possible losses and
Florida capitalists did not. All over
Southern California large sums were
pledged to the roads in case the increase
in travel was not sufficient to make re
turns for the decrease in price. And the
excursion rates therefore were put down
and certain class of ourists who form
erly came to Florida are going largely to
California.
But ignorance or rejudice is required
to convince us against the evidence OF
our senses that, because excursionists
deserted. Two causes have combined
to create the howl about missing tour
ists.''
1. Hotel accommodation has been null
tiplied manifold and our guests are now
scattered over the peninsula instead of
being damned up" in Jacksonville, Pc
larka, st. Augustine and Sanford. Even
in Jacksonville itself the crowd which
five years ago was compelled to seek
room in Hobbies and halls would be lost
in the vast spaces of the Everett and the
New Windsor, and would of itself leave
room to look for ''the missing We
venture the opinion based on the results
of careful inquiry, that we have now as
many tourists In Florida as we had the
same time during any past season.
p We form our opinions too much on
statements made in Jacksonville. 1t
would seem that our metropolitan dali
lies" could convince us even against the
evidence of our senses. Only few
years ago the total of arrivals in Jack
sonville would give good idea Of The
true no longer. For more than a month
the lines traversing South Florida have
been taxed to accommodate volume of
travel which is so scattered now that ii
can not he measured. Those who have
settled in Florida went North last sum-
mer, and now the visits of friends and
relatives are being returned. This
draws from the crowd at our great no
tells, and those who visit US are counted
to swell the alarming number of miss
ing" tourists, even when they are within
the State.
These considerations, together with
the opinions of our prominent hotel pro-
prietors and letters from manv annual
visitors, who assure us of their contin-
ued constancy, all go to convince US
that travel TO Florida has increased not
diminished. Even allowing for the les
sened necessity of registration in Jack
sonville we believe that an inspection
of the books of the Windsor or Everett
will show that Mr.. Owls nor Mr.. Lee
has fewer guests than on the same date
not full, because their accommodation
has been quadrupled. Whether or not
Jacksonville shows an increase of travel
there has been no falling off in Palatka,
and the managers of the Putnam, PhOe
nix, Saratoga and Carleton are all salts
fled with the showing made on their
books, as compared with corresponding
dates in the past.
The business men of the East, who
have made up the bulk of our travellers,
never visit us in great numbers till Lent.
| These write us that they cannot go to
| California because two weeks travel is
TOO fatiguing, and they are placed be-
yond easy reach of their work. They
seek quiet and rest during Lent, and the
time allowed them is too short for a
visit to California. They will come to
us this year as usual, despite the claims
Of cheap transportation to California.
! Those who are taken by lowered rates
will go elsewhere; our railroads have not
made reductions to correspond with
those of other lines, but we should not
blame them more than ourselves-,re
/ hare not offered To bear our share of the
burden, nor TO diride ON profits ,rith
! the roads. Doubtless the managers of
the roads would go as far as ourselves in
this direction, but they should not be
! expected to do all.
Despite all in ducements to the contra
ry, the cream of the tourist travel will
/ come to US this winter as IN the past,
and there is no need for exaggerated
/ fear or sensational meetings, or panicky
editorials, because they do not come
sooner each successive year. They stay
later each season, our oranges are safe
and we have sunshine again. Why
should we despair, and ask the world to